He is wealthy, though. And powerful. In fact, he probably has more political influence over your life than anyone else in the state of North Carolina. This includes the governor, the legislators or even the Rev. Billy Graham.

He’s like Billy Graham, though, in that he preaches a gospel. It’s a Horatio Alger story of pulling one’s self up by the bootstraps. That’s peculiar, since he inherited his money from his family, which started the Pope’s five-and-ten cent chain in Fuquay-Varina and later bought up the Roses variety stores. And he’s like the governor in that he successfully steers policy in our state. Patrick McCrory named Pope his chief budget writer on Dec. 20, so there’s no question of Pope’s influence...

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